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About AQA GCSE English Literature
AQA GCSE English Literature is code 8702, a linear qualification normally taught over two years with both exams at the end of the course. It is untiered, so there is one set of papers for every student. Paper 1 is Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel, lasting 1 hour 45 minutes and worth 64 marks and 40% of the GCSE. Paper 2 is Modern texts and poetry, lasting 2 hours 15 minutes and worth 96 marks and 60%. AQA scales neither paper by more than a factor of one, and grade boundaries are set against a total scaled mark of 160.
The split is the first thing to plan around. Sixty percent of the grade sits on Paper 2, and that paper carries three sections: an essay on a modern text with a choice of two questions, a comparison of one named poem printed on the paper with another from the student's cluster, and unseen poetry. Paper 1 carries the two texts a student reads most closely across the whole course, and still accounts for 40%. Families who assume the big studied texts are where all the marks live are usually surprised by this.
Every assessment is closed book. AQA states that all assessments are closed book and that any stimulus material needed is provided as part of the assessment, so nothing except the paper itself comes into the exam room. Quotations still have to be learned. But the Shakespeare question and the novel question each supply an extract, so the skill is moving from a short printed passage out to a whole play or novel, and then back again with evidence.
The assessment objectives explain what the examiners reward. AQA prints the weightings: AO1 at 37.5%, AO2 at 42.5%, AO3 at 15% and AO4 at 5%. AO2 is analysis of language, form and structure, and it is the largest single objective in the qualification. AO3, which covers context, is 15%. That is a real part of the grade, but it is not the biggest one, and revision that treats context as the main event is spending effort in the wrong place. If you want to see how GCSE English Literature differs across boards, the subject page sets them side by side.
Who AQA GCSE English Literature Is For
This course suits students sitting AQA GCSE English Literature 8702 who need the two papers taught in proportion to what they are actually worth.
- Year 10 and Year 11 students sitting AQA GCSE English Literature 8702 this year
- Students who have learned the context but not how to analyse a writer's language, form and structure
- Students preparing 15 poems and struggling to keep the cluster straight
- Students who freeze on unseen poetry because there is no text to revise
- Resit students and private candidates, who must be based in the UK to enter
AQA GCSE English Literature: The Board We Cover
AQA is the board this page covers. Every fact here comes from AQA's own 8702 specification.
AQA
AQA's GCSE English Literature is code 8702. Paper 1 covers a Shakespeare play and a 19th-century novel for 40%, using an extract and then the whole text. Paper 2 covers a modern text, 15 poems and unseen poetry for 60%. Both exams are closed book, both are compulsory, and the qualification is untiered. Students study three whole texts and one cluster of 15 poems.
How Centaurus Helps AQA GCSE English Literature Students Excel
Sixty Percent in One Paper
Paper 2 carries 60% of the GCSE and holds a modern text, 15 poems and unseen poetry. The year is planned around that paper, not around the two-text paper.
Effort Matched to the Objectives
AO2 is 42.5% and AO3 is 15%, so close analysis of language, form and structure gets the teaching time, and context is used to support a reading rather than to replace one.
Closed Book, So Quotations Are Taught
Nothing can be taken into the exam, so key quotations are learned deliberately across the two years instead of being crammed in the final term.
All 15 Poems, Not a Favourite Few
Any poem in the cluster can be the one printed on the paper, so the whole set is taught and each poem is practised as the named poem in turn.
Classes in Your Local Time
Live group sessions scheduled around your time zone, so no late nights or early mornings just to make a class.
24/7 Progress Reporting
Families get access to the Centaurus Academy LMS, with attendance, progress and lesson notes available to parents, students and teachers at any time.
Why Centaurus Stands Out
Choosing the right AQA GCSE English Literature support makes a real difference. Here is how Centaurus Academy compares with typical online providers.
Meet our Team Of Experts
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What Parents Say About Us
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AQA GCSE English Literature: Frequently Asked Questions
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